Bike insurance - is it possible?
 

Hi,

I have assumed in the past there isn't any "comprehesive" type insurance that can cover a bike when travelling internationally. I couldn't find any insurer here in Australia who would provide such a policy, so I just went without it.

Just wondering if anybody has found any such policies? If you did, have you ever tried to make a claim against it? Mainly I'm interested in such a policy to cover multiple Asian countries.

Bikes are getting pretty darned expensive these days and it would give some reassurance to know it's covered.

(To be clear, I am only asking about about insurance that protects my own bike, not third-party property or personal injury).

cheers

insurance
 

Hi Colin

When I had my bike shipped to NZ I had the same problem with insurance companies in Aus. They didnt want to know!

On advice from the shipping agent I went with Star Insurance (dedicated motorcycle insurers) in NZ. I didnt need to make a claim so cant help with that but they do offer Overseas bike insurance. Maybe worth a try.

Star Insurance | Specialist Motorcycle Insurance

I had no problems getting the insurance with them. Just fill in the forms, pay the money and the policy was emailed to me. All painless except for the hip pocket. Not the cheapest thing I have had to buy but it gave me piece of mind. Then again you could consider it cheap seeing as how no insurer in Aus would help.

Cheers
Marty

I think in general it´ll be VERY hard to find anyone to offer you a comprehensive vehicle insurance, that´d be valid world-wide. Insurance companies just simply lack data from outside the continents that they operate in, so they are unable to do their own risk-assessment. Gathering such data for the handful of overlanders, who might be interested in this (many of whom might still say ´no´ after hearing, what it would cost!), it´s just easier for them to say they don´t do it.

Also thinking about how erratic traffic can be in many countries in, say Africa, or Asia, and keeping in mind also, that many locals may be riding or driving fully uninsured (so you will get zero compensation from them, if they crash into you) I can´t say I really blame them!

It is funny, though, that I can easily get comprehensive insurance, also covering theft, for Green Card countries (that includes places like Paris, London or Amsterdam), but if I leave the Green Card countries, then it won´t be valid at all. I think the risk for theft is by far highest in those big cities in western Europe.

But it is more or less 5 years since I did some research on that, so things could have changed. You could try asking these:
www.alessie.com
www.tourinsure.de